Considering that you have a two-hour layover, that will give you a real good cushion in case there are delays. Most spring/summer delays in Chicago are caused by either strong winds or possibly bad storms. Of course, if there are weather systems in other parts of the country, they can impact other incoming flights. In any case, here are some tips as to help you with your travels:
- Before you leave go onto AA's website and set up alerts so that you get text messages about your flight status. I usually have it set to send me alerts 2 hrs before departure and if gates change, etc. If there is a delay, you will be notified, sometimes faster than what you will see at the gates or even on the screens. (You can do this for all of your flights before you leave home - even for return flights.)
- If your flight is delayed, don't panic. Just listen to the announcements and hear what is going on. Unless you have a specific question that was not covered in the announcement, chances are you will not need to go up to the gate counter for anything.
- If your flight is delayed from your home airport because of weather in Chicago, chances are that your plane for your connecting flight will also be delayed. Chances are, though, that you will not find out about that till you get into Chicago.
- Before you land, the flight attendants will announce connecting flight information. They will do this alphabetically by city. What you will want to do is to look at the back of the American Way magazine at the map of OHare to see where you will be landing vs. where your next flight will be taking off from. For reference, I can get from the furthest point in the American Eagle concourse to the furthest gate at the other concourses in about 6 minutes at a brisk walk. Do not accidentally go out through security. You will not need to exit the terminal.
- As we have talked about before, since you will be arriving at ORD in a regional jet, check your luggage and take only one thing onboard with you - something smaller than a carry-on suitcase. (I have a good-sized backpack for my laptop and it barely fits in the overhead bin... so go smaller than that.) This will make sure that you will not be waiting for anything when you arrive just in case there were delays on your first leg and you need to account for it.
- Go directly to the gate for your next flight - just so that you know where it is. Keep an eye out for the flight information screens and check them often.
- If you have time, enjoy a bite to eat or a drink at one of the several eateries in the terminal. There is also a couple different food courts to choose from.
- Get to your gate about 20 mins before boarding. (Thats about 50 minutes before the scheduled flight time.) If there are going to be any delays, etc, you will most likely find out around that time.
- The biggest thing is just remain calm if something changes or gets delayed. It happens to all airlines and they will accommodate you. Being at a major hub like Chicago, the ability to recover from delays are somewhat better, in my opinion.
If need be, reverse the above for your return trip.
Hope that helps...
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